Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-03-18
MUST PASS THEM In.
The c., NJ. & st. P. Orders in all Out
standing Newspaper Passes.
Effects OF the Interstate commerce
Law--Bill Nye's Humorous Manner
Expressing the sentiment Of the
Journalistic Fraternity.

at the piod0InS fraternity OF everyday
journalists. Senator Cullom, however.
in his own framing of Senator Regan's
Interstate commerce ideas. has done that
very thing in prohibiting the railroads
from showing the least courtesy to news
paperdom. Now it is not the desire of
the newspapers TO ask or to receive any
courtesies from the iron highways of the
country that are not shown other profess
sions. but the railroads should not be so
restricted, that they cannot reciprocate in
their own way for courtesies extended
where it does not affect general com
merce
General Ticket Agent Carpenter. of
the c., NJ. & St. P. has sent a polite
circular TO the newspapers having adver>
Using contracts with the Milwaukee road,
stating in effect that in obedience to the
provisions of the interstate commerce
bill, all passes must be in by April 1, and
that ia the future all contracts wbere
there are any between the railroads and
newspapers-m must be upon the cash or
thousand mile basis
But We viii allow the genial humnr>
ist. Bill Nye, To express oar further SEN
Jimeut on this subject, which he does to
perfection in letter dated Hudson,
Wis. March 80 1881 and directed 10
Nv. F White, Esq, general passenger
agent of the A. t. &. S. F. R. R.. To-
peka, Kan" The letter is as follows:
DEAR SRI enclose herewith annual
pass No. Q o35 for self and family over
your justly celebrated road during the
year 1887. | also return your photograph
and the letters you have written me dur
ing the past five years. Will you kindly
return mine? And so this brief and beau
tiful experience is to end. and each of us
must go bis own way hereafter.
Alas,
To you this may be easy. but it brings a
paug to my heart which your gentle letter
of the LIST Inst cannot wholly alleviate.
Whenever, hereafter. you look upon
this tear>speckled pass will you not think
of mel Remember that you have cast me
from you and that | am wandering across
the bleak and wide-swept plains sadly
enumerating the ties on my way to eter-
nifty.
do not say tn to reproach you, for
fear that You care for another, ami so we
could not be happy again together. But.
oh! do you pause to fully comprehend
the pang it costs ME to return this pleas
ant faced little pass with its conditions on
the back? Could you see me even now. as
| write these lines. turning away ever and
anon, laying aside my trembling pen to go
and sit by the crate and shudder and weep
and put out the fire with my bitter tears.
your heart would soften and YOU would
say: Return. o wanderer return
You do not say in your letter that have
been false to you or that have ever
grown cold. You DO not charge me with
infldellty or failure TO provide. You sim
ply say that it would be better for each
TO 60 his several ways, forgetting that
my several ways are passing away, pass
ing away.
II is all well enough for you to talk
about going your several ways You
have every facility for doing so. but with
me it is different. Several years ago a
large northwestern cyclone and myself
t1ed TO pass each other on the same
track. When the wrecking crew found
7
tree, With broken leg. Since that time
have walked with great difficulty, and
to go my several ways has been very
serious matter with me.
But | do not want you TO think that |
am murmuriug. | accept my doom calm
~. yet with slight tinge of unavalling
regret
Some time, perhaps in the middle of
the dark and angry night, when the cold
blasts wall through the telegraph wires
and the crashing sleet rushes with wild
and impetuous fury against the windows
of your special car. as you lie warmly
ensconced 10 your voluptuous berth and
hear the pitiless winds with hoarse and
croupv means chase each other arOuUd
the Kansas haYstacks or shrek wildly
away as they light out for their cherries
home in the Bad Lands, win you not
think of me as grope on blindly through
the keen and pitiIess blasts, stumbling
over cattleguards, falling into culverts
and beating out my rare young brains
against your rough right of way, will
you not think of me? do not ask much
g but I Il. auE n
forever.
As you whiz by me do not treat me
with coutumely, or throw crackers at me
when | have meekly turned out to let
your naughty old train go by. / have
always spoken of yOu in the highest
terms. and hope you will do the same
by me.
Life is short at ting best, and it is espec
tally so for those who have TO walk
Walking has already shortened my life a
great deal, and | wouldn't be surprised if
the exposure and bunions OF the year 1887
carried me of. leaving a gap in Amer-
can literature that will look like a new
cellar
Should any of your engineers or track
Intu iiuu nut iiUZe0 III u cut next winter,
when the grass gets short and nights get
long, will YOU kindly ask them to report
the brandto your auditor and instruct him
to allow my family what he thinks would
be right2 | hate to write TO YOU in this
detected manner, but you cannot under
stand how heavy my heart is today as
pen these lines.
| wish you end your beautiful road
unmitigated success. 1t is good road
for have passed over it and enjoyed it
How different the country will look to m,
as go bounding from tie to tie, SLOWLY
repeating to myself the trite remark once
made by the governor of North Carolina
TO the executive of South Cardinal
hope you may never know what it il
to pull into the quaint little city of L,
Junta with the dust of many a mile upoI
you and the thirst of long. uneventfu
journey in your throat. / hope that con
gress will not pass law next year which
will make it a felony for railroad maj
to say "gosh" without permit. / hops